RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which finishes today, is a wonderful day out.
But with a hefty price tag of over £100 a ticket, it’s not for everyone.
Sign up for the Fabulous newsletter
Thank you!
Find out how to bring the trends from this year’s Chelsea Flower Show into your own outdoors space Credit: Oliver Dixon/RHS
Gnomes have been brought back after being deemed tacky at previous shows Credit: Oliver Dixon/RHS
I was lucky enough to be invited and am delighted to reveal that this year seemed like the most relatable ever to the average cost-of-living-conscious gardener.
Not only have they brought back gnomes — deemed tacky at previous shows — but a lot of the planting schemes seemed achievable and affordable.
One show garden, designed by Sarah Eberle, was even deliberately growing the weed Herb Robert — which I seem to be very good at cultivating without any effort at all!
Here are seven of the trends you can recreate for under a tenner . . .
More on Chelsea Flower Show
SEEDY SHOW
Inside sexiest Chelsea Flower Show ever, with pleasure garden full of vibrators
Chelsea Flower Show 2026 full schedule, theme, TV coverage & how to watch a live stream
Orange Geums (Gardening Express, £3.99) were everywhere, bringing brightness to shady corners and contrasting perfectly with purple and blue blooms.
I spotted Euphorbia (crocus.co.uk, £9.99) in quite a few show gardens, too. It is often considered a weed but has lovely yellow flowers and also brings good height and structure.
Cow parsley also featured (seedrevolution.co.uk, £3.49) which is a great wildflower for a cutting garden.
There were also lots of colourful Bearded Iris (jparkers.co.uk, £8.99).
And a big focus on Japanese planting, with acers of all descriptions dotted around the show.
Retailer simplyplants.com has an acer palmatum “katsura” (5) for just £7.99, which is a great deal.
Because of warm weather cosmos, usually reserved for Hampton Court Flower Show in July, made an early appearance.
Jonathan Sheppard, who won a gold medal at Chelsea for his Cosmos Collection, was giving away a million King Cosmos seeds at the show.
But you can get them for a fiver from his site britishcosmos.com. They’re low maintenance, thrive in poor soil and give you months of flowers.
And finally, the King’s favourite delphiniums (Thompson & Morgan Giant delphinium seeds, £3.19) featured a lot in the King’s Foundation Curious Garden.
The garden was designed by Frances Tophill — with help from Alan Titchmarsh and David Beckham.
Also in Veronica’s Column this week….
Top tips, gardening news, Plant of the Week and a round dining set competition
For more gardening content, follow me @biros_and_bloom
WIN! WE have a Robert Dyas Rowlinson Ashdown folding six-seat round dining set with cushions (£385.99) to give away, plus a 2.5m Rowlinson Ashdown wooden parasol (£80).
Visit thesun.co.uk/RowlinsonAshdown or write to Jattvibe Rowlinson Ashdown competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, email or phone. UK residents 18+ only.
Entries close 11.59pm. June 6, 2026. T&Cs apply.
THIS WEEK’S JOB: PUT liquid fertiliser around spent bulbs to so they produce even more flowers next year. Don’t cut back yellowing foliage, leave it to die off naturally.
WEEK OF FUN FOR KIDS: NATIONAL Children’s Gardening Week starts today – and there are so many ways of getting kids involved in our outside spaces.
Visit childrens gardeningweek.com for all sorts of tips for making mini ponds, pine cone bird feeders and homemade sun catchers.
The website also has a Great Garden Centre Mystery, which uses interactive maps so kids can follow clues to be in with a chance of winning a £250 National Garden Centre voucher.
A helpful list of all the events taking place across the country to inspire your little ones into gardening can also be found online.
Ambassador Lee Connelly said: “This week is all about getting thousands of kids’ hands in the soil, sparking a life-long love for growing.”
TOP TEN GARDENS: THE top ten gardens to visit in spring have been revealed, based on research by photo printing company CEWE.
They are: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Chatsworth House, Derbys; Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh; Bodnant Garden, Conwy; RHS Wisley, Surrey; Stourhead, Wilts; Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall; Hever Castle Gardens, Kent; Cragside Gardens, Northum, and Alnwick Garden, Northum.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: THIS Marigold ‘French Vanilla’ is great for beds and containers. 20 per cent off at thompson-morgan.com/sunoffers.
THE Scone Palace Garden Fair in Perthshire, May 29 and 30, is a great day out for gardening enthusiasts. Get tickets for £18.50 from scone-palace.co.uk.
